kyiv curfew announced after Russia strikes Sviatoshynskyi, Obolon and Podilskyi districts of kyiv

By Judy J. Beasley Last updated Dec 10, 2022

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KYIV, Ukraine – A suspected Russian missile attack on an apartment building in the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday morning killed at least four people and sparked a frantic effort to rescue residents, prompting Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko to announce a curfew. fire in what he called a “difficult and dangerous time.

The strike, on a large building in the Sviatoshynskyi district shortly before 4 a.m., was one of at least three alleged Russian attacks on residential areas of Kiev in the past two days.

Fires burned for a few hours after the alleged strike, as dozens of firefighters battled the blazes and used cranes to try to extract residents trapped inside. Residents said there were around 128 apartments in the building and around half of the occupants had fled before Tuesday’s attack.

Klitschko said at least four people were killed, but Ukraine’s state emergency service said the toll from the attack, which severely damaged most of the building, could rise. Families and elderly people still lived in the building, neighbors said.

The curfew will be imposed in the capital from 8 p.m. local time on March 15 and will last until 7 a.m. on March 17.

“You can only go out to reach the shelter,” Klitschko said.

Residents described the Sviatoshynskyi region like a tight-knit community, with a garden, shops and cafes.

The last attack on the capital comes as the heads of three European Union governments – the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia – are due to travel to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Photos showed elderly residents being evacuated from the damaged building with pets in carriers.

Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Goncharenko tweeted a video of the scene on Tuesday and called on Western countries to support Ukraine more. “Please help us,” he said. said.

In another video shared on his Twitter account shortly after, Goncharenko also said the building had 128 apartments and at least two schools. “It’s the fire of World War III,” he said of the extinguished flames behind him.

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Goncharenko told viewers the area was residential only and there were no nearby military targets for Russia to target. Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said, is the “Hitler” of the 21st century.

Tuesday’s strike followed attacks in the Obolon and Podilskyi neighborhoods on Monday, leaving residents trapped in blackened high-rise buildings as rescue workers tried to free them.

City officials later described the attack on Podilskyi as missile or rocket strike which struck near a checkpoint near residential buildings. It killed at least one person and injured several others. The attack on Obolon, which also left one dead, according to Red Cross volunteers, came from Russian artillery.

Hassan reported from London.

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